• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Black Coffey Publishing

MysteryRiter

Murder isn't so bad...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
1,719
Reaction score
325
They have an ad for a humor anthology here on Absolute Write. They look to be brand new and I see no bios or any information about the people behind the operation. I know it's just an anthology but I still like to know who I'm submitting my work to if I submit (irrational fear of getting scammed :) ). However, they are one of the few paying markets for humor pieces that I know of... thoughts? Do they seem legit?
Their site is here. http://blackcoffeypublishing.com/
 

veinglory

volitare nequeo
Self-Ban
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
28,750
Reaction score
2,934
Location
right here
Website
www.veinglory.com
They seem like a short story ebook production line but the pay is okay/semi-pro (is it sustainable, who knows--not really the author's problem).

They seem actively disinterested in experienced, professional writers. I wonder why? -- "Whether you are an unpublished author, have been published on a limited basis or are a creative writing student that wants to earn for your talents, publishing with us is simple and straightforward."
 
Last edited:

AdrianLynn

I haunt QLH
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Messages
630
Reaction score
155
Location
U.S.
Someone else with more knowledge can probably address this better than I can, but the time period between submission deadline and publication seems to be really short. The "Office Life" collection has a submission deadline of Jan. 31 and is set to 'launch' on March 31. Is a three month turnaround time typical of these sorts of collections/anthologies?
 

MysteryRiter

Murder isn't so bad...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
1,719
Reaction score
325
Ok, this is a little off topic, but could someone break down the rights for me? I am going to submit something here but it asks you to select the rights option in your submission. They list "Assigned Rights" as the preferred method but since I don't understand all of this rights stuff so much, I'm curious to know which is the ideal for an author. Why does one pay more than another? I'm a little lost here...
 

Manuel Royal

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
4,484
Reaction score
437
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Website
donnetowntoday.blogspot.com
Ok, this is a little off topic, but could someone break down the rights for me? I am going to submit something here but it asks you to select the rights option in your submission. They list "Assigned Rights" as the preferred method but since I don't understand all of this rights stuff so much, I'm curious to know which is the ideal for an author. Why does one pay more than another? I'm a little lost here...
From the Black Coffey site's page regarding "Assigned Rights":
Black Coffey Publishing said:
ASSIGNED RIGHTS

The first publishing contract, and our preferred option, is an Assigned Rights agreement. This passes the full title and future rights associated with the work in digital form from the author to Black Coffey Publishing.

This means you, the author, will retain the moral rights to be named the story’s creator (our full legal agreement specifically allows this). Black Coffey Publishing does not wish to be identified as an author, our place is to publish your story. We are interested, however, in retaining the rights to publish the story.

Our Assigned Rights Agreement has the following main clauses:

Payable fee. The fee Black Coffey Publishing pays for these rights is 2p per word upto 3,000 words. Once this fee has been paid there will be no further royalty payments between the publisher and author.

Digital rights only. Black Coffey Publishing are only interested in the digital publishing rights. Print, film, and any other performance of the works remains in the ownership of the author.

Art work. Our agreements require any artwork supplied with your original submission to to supplied with full permissions for Black Coffey Publishing to use the artwork with the story.

Marketing support. The Publishers will have sole discretion for the publication, distribution, sale and marketing of the Work. We will also consult the Author in connection with, but will have sole discretion for, the jacket/cover design and, the text typographical arrangement.

Author’s ownership. The Work is the original work of the Author and the Author is the sole author of the Work (apart from the copyright material not owned by the Author which is included in the Work with the copyright owner’s permission).

Previously unpublished. The Work has not, and no substantial part of the Work has, been previously published or distributed elsewhere.

Establishing the author’s moral rights. The Author asserts his or her right to be identified as the author of the Work, and the Publishers will include a notice of that assertion in every copy of the Work (and will require licensees of Rights under this Agreement to include a notice of that assertion in every copy of the Work).

And from their page on "Licensed Rights":
Black Coffey Publishing said:
LICENSED RIGHTS

The second publishing contract Black Coffey Publishing offer is a Licensed Rights agreement. This measn the author grants a license over the work in digital form to Black Coffey Publishing. The author is identified as the work’s creator. Black Coffey Publishing isn’t identified as the author, we understand our role is to publish the work.
Our License Rights Agreement has the following main clauses:

Rights granted. The author grants an exclusive licence of the Rights and an exclusive right to sub-license and permit further sub-licensing of the Rights. The Agreement will come into force on the date of its execution for a fixed period of fifteen years from the date of signature by the Publisher.

Payable fee. The fee Black Coffey Publishing pays for these rights is 1p per word upto 3,000 words. Once this fee has been paid there will be no further royalty payments between the publisher and author.

Digital rights only. Black Coffey Publishing are only interested in the digital publishing rights. Print, film, and any other performance of the works remains in the ownership of the author.

Art work. Our agreements require any artwork supplied with your original submission to to supplied with full permissions for Black Coffey Publishing to use the artwork with the story.

Marketing support. The Publishers will have sole discretion for the publication, distribution, sale and marketing of the Work. We will also consult the Author in connection with, but will have sole discretion for, the jacket/cover design and, the text typographical arrangement.

Author’s ownership. The Work is the original work of the Author and the Author is the sole author of the Work (apart from the copyright material not owned by the Author which is included in the Work with the copyright owner’s permission).

Previously unpublished. The Work has not, and no substantial part of the Work has, been previously published or distributed in the Territory or elsewhere;

Establishing the author’s moral rights. The Author asserts his or her right to be identified as the author of the Work, and the Publishers will include a notice of that assertion in every copy of the Work (and will require licensees of Rights under this Agreement to include a notice of that assertion in every copy of the Work).

They're mostly the same. If I understand it, the main functional difference is that "Assigned Rights" gives Black Coffey perpetual digital rights, and pays 2 cents a word.

The "Licensed Rights" agreement grants "a license over the work in digital form to Black Coffey". I think that means it gives them first (digital) publication rights, but after that, digital rights revert to the writer. (Though I'd like to see that part spelled out.) The "Licensed Rights" route pays 1 cent a word.

So, it looks like: you can sign away all digital rights for a crappy two cents a word, or just first digital rights for an even crappier penny a word.

Though I may be wrong in my interpretation of "Licensed Rights". I'd really like to see a clear statement about whether digital publication rights revert to the writer after first publication.

In any case, I sent them a story last week (taking, if I recall, the "Assigned Rights" option). I'll report back here if anything happens with that.
 
Last edited:

augusto

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 19, 2009
Messages
611
Reaction score
80
Location
Minneapolis
Website
willtinkham.blogspot.com
So I'm thinking of sending Black Coffey an excerpt from a novel. Would either option prohibit me from digitally publishing it later as part of the book? I'd ask them but I don't find any sort of address on their website for questions. Thanks.
 

veinglory

volitare nequeo
Self-Ban
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
28,750
Reaction score
2,934
Location
right here
Website
www.veinglory.com
If the rights are available, why would a publisher object?

Because you will have exhausted first rights on a proportion of the manuscript, those rights will not be available. The publisher of the book is the one who decides whether they will accept a manuscript that is partially new and partially a reprint.
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,954
Reaction score
1,751
Location
Coastal Desert
Activity halted Nov '12. Anyone have recent contact with them?
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,954
Reaction score
1,751
Location
Coastal Desert
Site still stuck in '12, but did put out a book in '14, FWIW.